I have a very good female friend that I thinking about buying her the things that she'll need for fly fishing. She's always had a interest in it; but, she just never got around to having the time. Now she has the time and wants to learn. After reading this post, SAGE ONE: Looking for thoughts... , I'm wondering if the Sage One, 9 ft. 5 wt. would make a good first rod for her. This seems the way to go, but I'm wondering if I should go with a slower action rod. There is no place around here to have her try one and the closest I have are my Z-Axis's. Any thoughts would be appriciated.

I would let her try one of my Z-Axis first before ordering, but the weather up here isn't cooperating. There is approximately a 6 week period before Trout Unlimited ships and I'd like her to be set up prior to the general opening of trout season. That's the reason for my question. Of course I could always order from Cabela's. There is no fly shop near us to try out a rod. Thanks for any thoughts on this.

When I started I had my heart set on a sage one and was literally at a store on the counter ready to be bought and the owner of the fly shop said lets just try out the Orvis Helios and see how you like it, compared the two and the Helios was way better for me. My girlfriend also went with a Helios and she loves it. The sage one was in my opinion too fast and I could never get the timing right it just frustrated the hell out of me when I think about it but I was in a rookie mind set as well I will just learn. The Orvis truly felt like an extension of my arm and I love every cast I make with it.

OK, so she can't get a chance to cast any rods first. From where I sit then, I'd get her an LL Bean Quest outfit. They are incredibly inexpensive. One of my salmon camp partners brought one as a backup...to a man, we all loved it. And I'm talking guys all with 30-40 years experience. For about 130 bucks you get rod, reel, line and even a leader, all set up ready to go. I have yet to see that deal beat. Plus you get LL Bean standing behind it.

OK, so she can't get a chance to cast any rods first. From where I sit then, I'd get her an LL Bean Quest outfit. They are incredibly inexpensive. One of my salmon camp partners brought one as a backup...to a man, we all loved it. And I'm talking guys all with 30-40 years experience. For about 130 bucks you get rod, reel, line and even a leader, all set up ready to go. I have yet to see that deal beat. Plus you get LL Bean standing behind it.

Gary

I just dont understand some people, if the man is willing to buy his lady a nice rod why recommend something so much less expensive and sub par? He has been fly fishing for a long time I am sure he is aware of the cheaper brands. He came with a question on a specific rod and what we thought about it not for a cheap out. If the money is there, why not?

Sorry but this was a sensitive subject for me Gary When I got into fly fishing I wanted to buy nice stuff so I am not throwing away money in the long run. It was a hell of an investment for sure but I had the money and wanted to outfit myself and my girlfriend completely, do it once and do it right as they say. Every single store (except two) that we went to has recommended lower gear for starting out and to spend about $400 on everything rather than the $7000 budget that I had for us. Understand this, we both love the outdoors, we both love fishing and we took courses for fly fishing and fell in love with it even more before even looking at gear. Then we saved money and purchased good gear. A cheap rod will do the trick and catch fish, but that rod will need to be replaced sooner than a nicer rod, and IMO that is just throwing money away. I am the type of person that will spend the money and take care of the equipment and cherish it as I know I worked very hard to get these things and I truly enjoy them. I consider myself hard working, but also consider that I want to play just as hard. It just makes me angry to see people recommend something that is not in the same category as his original choice, because I went through this experiance and I found it very annoying that the salesman was trying to sell me something I did not even want to look at.

The Helios for me is a great rod and the Helios two is out now and is an even stronger rod. I would highly recommend it as I have not heard anyone say anything about it. My girlfriend goes out with a lot of girls to fly fish and they love her rod. In price comparison it is about the same as the sage but much more enjoyable for the both of us.

i think what gary was trying to say is that the bean outfit might be a better fit for a beginner.
heck, take the remaining dough and get her some casting lessons
p.s. the quest rods are pretty darn sweet, no matter the cost.